WWE has a good thing going here with the Takeover Brooklyn/SummerSlam weekends and for the third year in a row, the Barclays Center will host the two major events along with the following Raw and Smackdown. They will go back to Brooklyn again next year, making it four in a row for the great town. This is going to be a jam packed weekend of great wrestling on move sides. NXT has their usual 5 match set up, 3 title matches and two what could be show stealer undercard matches. SummerSlam, as with the past two years, has a double digit match number for the four hour event, featuring 8 of the 9 titles being defended. Currently, as of 8/15/17, Intercontinental Champion The Miz has no match scheduled, which is a crime. SummerSlam promises to be huge but let's start with Saturday's event first, Takeover Brooklyn III.
Takeover Brooklyn will always hold a special place in my heart. The final NXT matches of Kevin Owens and Bayley took place in the last two years, Shinsuke Nakamura won his first NXT Title last year and of course, the greatest women's match in WWE history between Sasha Banks and Bayley took place in 2015. No pressure! 5 matches on the card and anyone of them could be a show stealer. Let's talk!
Notably missing is United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, who's match with Tyler Bate from Takeover Chicago stands as the best match of the year in WWE so far. There's always a chance that we'll randomly get a rematch between the two for the show but there's been no real mention of the UK scene since this match. Should we be worried?
The Authors of Pain will defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against SAnitY's Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain in an all heels match. Eric Young and Nikki Cross will be at ringside for SAnity while Paul Ellering will be with his monsters. AOP have reigned supreme over the division for the entire 2017, winning the titles from DIY back at Takeover San Antonio. The tag division has always been NXT's weakest and now more than ever. AOP has stopped all competition, even the meaty team of Heavy Machinery. If AOP is to go over here, the only other team around is Street Profits. We know Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish have signed with NXT, probably meaning they will eventually team with one another. I think it would be more believable for reDragon to go over SAnitY than AOP. Anyway, this should be a hard hitting affair. It could go either way but I think AOP will retain their titles.
Johnny Gargano is continuing his career alone and will be taking on Andrade Almas in Brooklyn. This is going to be amazing. Gargano is probably the most loved guy in NXT. His in ring style, his never say die attitude and the fact he was betrayed by his best friend. With Ciampa out, they need to build up Gargano and make him the top guy in NXT. Have him win the title so when Ciampa comes back around Mania season, Gargano/Ciampa will be the biggest NXT Championship match in history. Johnny's singles run begins here and this will be a true test. Almas just got the lovely Zelina Vega as his valet and a loss will really hurt him. Gargano could lose but will definitely bounce back. From that standpoint, I'm pulling for Almas, a guy who hasn't gotten his due in NXT but I'm going with Gargano to win his submission, the Gargano Escape.
Aleister Black will battle Hideo Itami. This might be the most competitive match from the entire weekend. Both vicious strikers, both well versed in martial arts, this is going to be a barn burner of a match. Itami's failed time in WWE is well known. Injuries have plagued him and he hasn't captured the same success he had in Japan and now, he's going against one of the only undefeated stars in NXT. Black is a freaking star. Not only is he able to handle his own in the ring, he has such an amazing presence, such a fitting gimmick that it's hard not to get behind him. Be prepared for a lot of kicks. Black is going to be moving closer to that NXT Championship as he's one of the top guys in NXT so a win here is needed and predicted by yours truly.
Bobby Roode will defend his NXT Championship against Drew McIntyre, only four months since McIntyre made his return to WWE. We all knew it was going to come to this right? Once McIntyre came back to NXT of all places, his ascension to the top was expected to be quick. On Saturday, he can make become the top guy of the company. Roode has been a dominant champion, defeating stars like Nakamura, Itami, Kassius Ohno and Roderick Strong in his 7 months as NXT Champion. McIntyre would continue that dominance but that begs the question; how much longer do we wait for Roode to come to the main roster? The guy screams star and he's already 40. He doesn't have many years left in him. I think a heel champion for the show is best, especially with guys like Black, Strong and Gargano on the rise. McIntyre could play that heel role as well if needed. Hmmm. This should be a great match but in the end, I think Roode will retain. He'll lose the title at the next Takeover, lose his rematch at Takeover Philadelphia, and then debut in the Royal Rumble. Bold prediction yes, but that's just me.
Asuka will put her 500 DAY reign on the line when she defended the NXT Women's Championship against Ember Moon, a rematch from Takeover Orlando. If any match is to main event this year, it should be this one. The most on the line is this match. Asuka barely escaped Orlando with her title during Wrestlemania weekend. After that, Asuka was just bidding her time. Ember Moon has always been the chosen one to end this streak, at least in my eyes. That was, until WWE signed another great female star from Japan, Kairi Hojo, now known as Kairi Sane. Will WWE wait even longer before Asuka drops the title? Maybe. This should be a better match than their Orlando match. There's now a lot of animosity between the two after the events of Orlando and the injury Asuka gave to Moon. This is my most anticipated NXT Women's match since Banks/Bayley. I've been behind Moon as champion since she got there. Saturday, August 19th will be the day she finally does it. Ember Moon will dethrone The Empress of Tomorrow and become NXT Women's Champion.
Takeover Brooklyn III will be another amazing Takeover. Next up, SummerSlam!
SummerSlam currently has 12 matches on the show, 2 or 3 will be included on the 2 hour pre show because, well, they have to give time to some of these matches. If I'm picking matches to put on the pre show, it's the Cruiserweight Title match, the Smackdown Tag Title match and Big Show VS Big Cass. Let's talk SummerSlam!
EDIT. The Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel will face Jason Jordan and The Hardys on the pre show. Yeah. The faces win.
Akira Tozawa shocked the world, or at least me, when he defeated Neville on the Raw before SummerSlam for the championship. Now, the rematch, the rubber match in their series, will take place at SummerSlam. Neville losing was a total shock to me. He was the hottest thing going in the division and without the title, I don't know how much further he can go. Neville belongs in the other divisions on Raw but time will tell. I don't think Tozawa got the big win on Raw for nothing so he'll retain in a great opener.
New Day will defend their Smackdown Tag Team Titles against The Usos, another feud that has stretched 3 matches this summer. New Day and The Usos are the two top tag teams in WWE and both of their PPV matches were fast paced and competitive. This should be more of the same that we're used to. Smackdown is lacking in heel teams. Actually, they're lacking in teams in general. New Day only came to Smackdown to win the titles so they aren't losing them any time soon. New Day retains.
Big Cass VS Big Show. The point is to get Cass over more as a heel. To do that, he must defeat Big Show. Big Cass wins.
BURN IT DOWWWWWNNNNNN! Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, with nothing better to do, team up to face Sheamus and Cesaro for the Raw Tag Team Titles. Ambrose and Rollins are chasing history here. If they win, Rollins will have won tag team gold with both of his Shield brethren while Ambrose will become a Triple Crown AND Grand Slam Champion. Mighty accomplishments in this day and age. This will be one of the best matches at SummerSlam as all four guys are great workers. Expect a lot of punches and uppercuts in this one and of course, a Falcon Arrow. Sheamus is currently filming a movie which releases next year. It hasn't made him miss any time in WWE yet but if it's a staring role, it will take him away soon. Ambrose and Rollins as tag champs could lead to a much needed heel turn for either guy so I think it's the best move. After a fun tag match, Ambrose and Rollins will defeat Sheamus and Cesaro to capture the Raw Tag Team Titles.
Naomi will defend her Smackdown Women's Championship against Natalya. This is a strange one. With Charlotte on the show, you would think they would have her in the title scene but it just wasn't meant to be and with everything going on with Flair, it looks like this was a blessing in disguise. Nattie is one of the lone veterans of the women's division on Smackdown, having been in the company for 10 years, wrestling some of the best stars from the past generation. If anyone can put on a good match with Naomi, it's Natalya. Although she'll put up a good fight, she won't leave Brooklyn with the title. Naomi will successfully defend the Smackdown Women's Championship. Carmella will not cash in here. You heard it here first.
The United States Championship will be defended when champion AJ Styles faces Kevin Owens with Shane McMahon as the special referee. We know these two will have a great match but it's time to move on from this feud. Styles wins, Owens gets mad at Shane and we'll be closer to some type of Shane/Owens match.
Randy Orton will battle Rusev in a random match. I'm not mad at the pairing because these two could put on a great match but booking wise, man, someone is going to look weak with a loss. Randy Orton hasn't won on PPV since Wrestlemania. Rusev came back to a loss to John Cena. They both need big wins on the major stage. Orton is the one who would be hurt more by the loss so I'm going with Randy Orton for the win.
Demon Balor is back! After losing to Bray Wyatt on Raw and having some type of red liquid poured over him, Balor will don the Demon persona for the first time since he won the Universal Title last year at SummerSlam to battle Wyatt again. They gave their first ever one on one match ever just so Balor could put the body paint on. I can't lie, I can't wait to see Balor come out like that again. It was one of my favorite things about SummerSlam last year. Balor has lost as Demon Balor but in NXT. He won't lose with it on just yet. Balor wins.
Well, this match took a nasty turn. Baron Corbin lost his briefcase this past week on Smackdown with a failed cash in, thanks to his SummerSlam opponent John Cena. Now, Corbin is in a do or die match. John Cena has lost at the last 6 SummerSlams. 6. The face of the company has a losing streak on arguably their 2nd biggest PPV of the year and against some of the best talent WWE had in the past decade. Guys like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles have beaten Cena at the event and all went on to do big things after their victories. Punk had the longest WWE Title reign in decades, Daniel Bryan had the greatest payoff in WWE history with his historic Wrestlemania 30 win, Seth Rollins became the first man to hold both the WWE and United States Titles and AJ Styles won his first ever WWE World Title a month afterwards. This year, Corbin needs a win to stay relevant. If he loses, he will do nothing on Smackdown and he will soon be losing to Mojo Rawley on a consistent basis. Baron Corbin MUST defeat John Cena at SummerSlam in convincing fashion and send Cena packing to Raw. Either Corbin will flourish or he will be in the lower mid card for the rest of his career.
Alexa Bliss was expecting to defend her Raw Women's Title against Bayley but she suffered an 'injury' and was replaced by Sasha Banks, so we get a much more vicious Women's Title match at SummerSlam. Bayley's injury is a work and I only say that because no one has reported on the severity of it. Dawson had a bicep injury and we know he had surgery and is out until December. Bayley has herself said she's rehabbing it and she'll be back soon. FAKE. This is all being done to set up the inevitable Sasha/Bayley feud. It has to be. It's a great story too. Sasha wins in what was Bayley's match, Bayley comes back for what is rightfully hers, Sasha gets cocky and returns to her heel boss persona. Everyone wins. Sasha Banks will dethrone Alexa Bliss and win her 4th Raw Women's Title. She will turn on Bayley when Bayley comes back from injury.
In one of the most unexpected WWE Title matches in SummerSlam, Jinder Mahal will defend the title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Not actually the WWE Title match I had in my mind when the year started but this could be an amazing moment. Mahal has defeated Orton three times in a row on PPV. He's done his job as a heel champion but I still don't believe him to be a top guy in WWE. The transition from jobber to champion is still bothering me a lot and while I like Mahal and it's been a fun experiment, it's time to move the title. Nakamura isn't my first choice to be champion on Smackdown (Styles would be it) and it may be too fast to put the title on him but Smackdown is the land of opportunity. There is now no Baron Corbin here to ruin Nakamura's moment either. I don't think they'll do a DQ finish, simply because they just did one at Great Balls of Fire and that wouldn't be the best thing to do at a SummerSlam, though they've done it before. Nakamura has had similar success on in Brooklyn, capturing the NXT Title last year. I think lightening will strike twice for Nakamura. I mean, the guy beat Cena to get this opportunity. They could have just as easily did Corbin/Nakamura then Mahal/Cena but Nakamura got the CLEAN win over Cena to get here. That alone speaks the confidence WWE has in him. Shinsuke Nakamura will defeat Jinder Mahal and his cronies the Singh Brothers to win his first WWE Championship, becoming the first NJPW homegrown star to win the title.
In this mega main event, Brock Lesnar will defend his Universal Championship for only the 2nd time since winning it at Wrestlemania. Lesnar faces Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns in the biggest PPV main event of the year. I am excited. Seriously. Four of the biggest baddest guys in WWE in one mega match. This is what SummerSlam is all about. Lesnar's reign of terror must end here. Now more than ever, Raw needs to have their World Champion there on a weekly basis, defending the title at every Raw PPV, not when he wants. Lesnar is a cancer for Raw on that front. He's a great draw but come on, one of these other guys need the title. Strowman is the dark horse here. Based on his tremendous work in 2017, Strowman should get a run with the title. He went from people hating that he might be getting a match with The Undertaker, to people cheering that he has a winning feud over Roman Reigns. Strowman is one of the biggest success stories of the draft and a Universal Title reign would compliment that. Samoa Joe gave Lesnar a tough match at GBOF and made Lesnar look very human. Paul Heyman has apparently been a backstage supporter to make Joe the champion at SummerSlam. Maybe Heyman got through to someone? Joe would continue the trend of former NXT Champions winning the Universal Championship. The two NXT Champions before Joe both won their first and currently only World Title in the Universal Title last August, making half the people who've won the title former NXT Champs. Not much to work off of I know, but maybe Joe gets the nod. If you're a betting man, Roman Reigns is most likely. Reigns has been without a World Title for 14 months and has always been in the main event scene on Raw, battling for the title since its inception last year. Maybe Sunday is finally the time The Big Dog wins the title. It's funny. His Shield brethren are fighting for titles as well. Will we have a repeat of Extreme Rules 2013 all over again? Will Ambrose and Rollins help Reigns win? Am I thinking too much into it?
Just...God, please don't let Lesnar win. Seriously. Any of the challengers can win the title, just not Lesnar. A rumor going around is that Cena is coming to Raw right after SummerSlam and will be thrust right into a feud with the winner of the Fatal Four Way, which looks to be Samoa Joe, leading to a first time ever feud between the two. That's a dream feud right there. That sounds like a pipedream right now though. UGHHHH....
I'm going with The Destroyer Samoa Joe to win the Universal Championship at SummerSlam by choking out Brock Lesnar. BOLD, but that's what I'm going with.
It should be a fun weekend! Are you ready!?!?
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